Superconscious LivingFebruary 28th, 2011

If you listen to any of Swami Kriyananda’s talks or interviews, or have the blessing of being with him during his classes, you may have the same experience I do – an incredibly sweet upliftment of consciousness and expansion of the heart’s sympathies. I’m deeply touched to witness the compassion and kindness and wisdom I see expressed.

But I realize that it is not Swami Kriyananda the man; that impresses me. Swami Kriyananda has let go of his ego – it seems the man sitting there is almost transparent and only divine friendship flows through. Ananda prayers always begin with an invocation: Heavenly Father, Divine Mother, Friend, Beloved, God. The aspect of God that is our eternal divine friend is what I feel coming through Swami Kriyananda.

There are bits and pieces of understanding that have come to me over the years I have been on this path and following the teachings of Yogananda, expressed so tangibly through Swami Kriyananda, but I’m always reaching for a stronger grasp of what I feel. My heart knows the answers lie in attunement to God and guru and understanding will come, but my mind can’t completely relax away from asking: “How does Swami do it – what exactly is going on that I don’t see?”

I got a bit of the answer the other day – and it started with me laying in bed late because I convinced myself that I didn’t have to get up; I’d just get a bit more sleep, meditate later and start my day at a leisurely pace. It all seemed very reasonable.

So I spent an hour in that dreamy, subconscious state of not really being asleep, and not being awake. I thought about my “to do” list and planned my day. I snuggled in the covers and tried to squeeze all the enjoyment out I could out of the comfortable warmth. I sang a few mental chants and reviewed the song list I needed to practice for choir. Then I sluggishly rolled out of bed and told myself I was now rested and ready to be doubly energetic the rest of the day.

But it didn’t happen. Even after doing Energization exercises and meditating I had trouble shaking off the foggy, subconscious dust from my mental feet. It felt like I had rolled in the mud and couldn’t get clean. I had overestimated my ability to lift myself out of that realm once I sunk down and wallowed in it. Then I thought about Swami and realized—that he lives in the opposite realm of superconsciousness—all the time. There is nothing subconscious about Swami.

When you attune yourself to superconsciousness, everything is fresh and new, light and clear. Just the opposite of where I had spent the morning.

Swami Kriyananda tells the same stories over and over again, because he draws from his own experience and shares through what he has learned. Yet every time he tells a story it is completely fresh and relevant to what is happening right now because he is not pulling it up from the subconscious, he is superconsciously responding to every situation. His kindness and compassion for every individual is deep and real because with superconscious awareness and attunement, he sees each person clearly as a child of God and a fellow truthseeker. There is no judgment or criticism based on subconscious habit, there is only divine friendship flowing from the Infinite Spirit beyond all limitation.

I gathered all my mental citizens together and explained that we want more superconscious experiences and fewer subconscious ones. (I know better than to say it will never happen again.) But I’m deeply grateful for another level of understanding and the blessings that come through Swami Kriyananda’s example.